The Engagement
by Lady Skywalker13
Summary: This is my take on the proposal between Anakin and Padme. Takes place right after the Geonosian battle.


**Disclaimer:** All rights reserved for George Lucas. I make no money on this FanFic.

This is my fisrt FanFiction that I'm submitting to this site. I hope you enjoy it!

_There were screams of sheer terror; cries from orphaned children. Blaster bolts rang out in every direction. A loud explosion could be heard no too far away and debris rained down upon the streets. They were pleading, begging for her to help them. She didn't know where to go or who to turn to. _

_One last scream resounded in her ears:_

"_HELP ME!!!!"_

Padme sat bolt upright in bed; sweat pouring from her brow, trying desperately to catch her breath. She looked around at her dark surroundings and monetarily felt lost. _Where am I?_

The room was pale; in fact, it was all white, except for the colors of a few monitors near her bed. The med-center. She was in a hospital room. That was when she suddenly remembered the pain in her back. The cuts left from the nexu had led to a serious blood loss. The last thing she remembered was helping Anakin onto the transport. In all her adrenaline rush, she must have slipped into unconsciousness.

She felt her back through the simple, white night gown she wore. The bacta had done a good job, the marks were fully healed, but she could still feel a couple of scars.

She looked out the window of her room. It was past nightfall, but there were still many bright lights from traffic and Coruscant nightlife that light up the corner of her room.

Padme shivered slightly and brought her arms up to wrap around her shoulders. Her dream gave her so many horrifying pictures; scenes that she had not witnessed…yet. She knew they would come all in good time. War brought many troubles to all people, no matter where you try to hide from it.

She suddenly wished that she wasn't alone. _Anakin. Where is he?_ She wondered. She quietly turned to get out of bed, but hesitated slightly, wondering if it was too soon for her to go looking for him in the middle of the night.

Then she realized that there was no way that she was going to sleep tonight and she needed someone to at least talk to. She stepped out of bed, wincing as the cold floor touched her bare feet.

She crept down the hallway, looking over her shoulders a couple of times to make sure that she wasn't being watched. She silently read the names of the patients clipped to the doors and paused when she came across 'Anakin Skywalker'.

She swallowed and quietly pushed open the door. His room was eerily silent, save for his harmonic breathing. She saw the glint of metal that was his new arm. She let out a small relieved sigh to know that his operation went well.

Stealthily, she crossed the room to stand beside his bed. She leaned over him slightly and gazed into his face; so full of peace. _How could someone who is known for having just fitful dreams be sleeping so soundly at a time like this?_

She leaned in closer to him, just marveling at his natural beauty for the first time. He was handsome and strong. Those attributes were readily clear to her when she met him back in her apartment for the first time in ten years. But now in his sleep, she could see something else; something that made her want to just melt into him: vulnerability.

She leaned closer, just a breath away from his when he suddenly jumped, opening his eyes and grabbing her by the shoulders in an attempt to scare her.

It worked.

She sprang back and let out a yelp.

"Shh," he said through a small laugh. He put a hand over her mouth. "Do you want to let the whole med-center know that you're here?" He slowly let her go and sat up into a sitting position. She gulped noticing his uncovered, sculpted chest and quickly averted her eyes to meet his.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" he implored of her.

"I couldn't sleep," was all that she could say. Even just that small sentence brought such happiness to him. Ever since they arrived at the med-center two days ago, he hadn't been able to see her. He smiled in spite of himself to just listen to her voice. It reminded him of a purr.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I have a headache from the medicine, but it's not that. It's just…everything is going to change now."

It tore him up inside to see her grow so sad. "Come here." He scooted over and pulled the covers down in an indication that should sit next to him. In normal circumstances, she would have never done such a thing. But these most definitely weren't normal circumstances.

They lay down on their sides, looking into one another's eyes. She pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.

"Everything that I dedicated my life to, fought so hard to protect, has just come crashing down upon me. And not only that, to make it worse, it saved my life." She noticed the slight confused look he gave her and so she went on. "The army. Now for the first time in over a century our galaxy will be caught in a full scale civil war. I just feel so helpless; I don't know what I should do."

He gently brushed a tear away from her cheek and tried to comfort her. "No one wanted this. No one wants a war, but it happened. I'm sure you'll figure something out. You always have."

She gave him a weak smile. "There's no one in the whole galaxy that I trust more to be handling decisions that affect this war than you," he told her.

Her smile grew at his words, but suddenly the impact of what he was saying hit her. Already knowing the answer, she asked, "How will it affect you?"

He let out a sigh and rolled over onto his back to look up at the ceiling. "The jedi are the commanding officers to the clones. I'm going to have to accompany Obi-Wan to numerous campaigns across the galaxy."

Padme's eyes grew wide and she sat up halfway, leaning over him. "No!"

He laughed a little and brushed a rogue strand of hair out if her face. "What's this? I've never seen you act like this before. You almost look scared."

She rested her head on his chest and replied, "I don't want you to go fight." She lifted her head to put her chin on his chest so as to look him in the eye. "It took ten years for us to see each other again. How long will it take this time?"

He didn't have an answer for her, so he just gave her a sad smile.

"I wasn't just admitting my love for you to you, you know? I was admitting it to myself. Now that I've done that I can't take it back. I can't go back to pretending that nothing ever happened between us…"

Anakin lifted her chin and shook his head no. "Shhh"

"…don't make me do that…"

"It's ok, you don't have to."

"Please."

"I could never ask you to do such a thing; I couldn't even do it."

"Then what do we do?" she asked him through teary eyes.

"We stay together. I'll see you whenever I come back to Coruscant to give my reports. And I can come to you on Naboo when I'm on leave."

She nodded her head in an understanding.

"We would have to keep it a secret, though; at least through the war. Could you do that?" he asked.

She thought a moment. She recalled a conversation she had with him a few nights ago about this. Then, she had told him that she could never live a lie.

"Could you live the lie?" he asked when she gave no response.

"Living while pretending not to love you would be a lie," she replied with a smile.

He smiled back at her and leaned in to kiss her, but she recoiled. He looked at her expressing confusion.

"But I'm not going to be slinking around for just some secret boyfriend. That kind of love wouldn't be worth my time and energy," she said.

"I…I don't understand." Anakin was starting to get nervous, not comprehending what she could mean.

"I wouldn't go out of my way for just a boyfriend. Boyfriends pass in time and soon mean nothing."

He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "A husband, however…"

He tilted his head to look at her.

"I could see myself waiting up for a husband." She quirked her eyebrow at him.

He thought for a moment and then looked at her with wide eyes as the intention of her statement sunk in. "You want to…"

"Yes!" She could barely keep the word from escaping her mouth.

"Marry me?"

"Now that I've met you, it would be useless to even think of finding another man who came even close to fulfilling my needs like you do. It's either you or nobody at all. And please don't make live a life of solitude," she said as she gave a little pout.

He smiled and threw his arms around her and pulled her close to him in a hug that almost forced the air out of her lungs. "Never!" he exclaimed.

"I don't have a ring or anything," he said as he loosened his grip on her.

"I don't need one. Besides, I still have the pendant you gave me. The Japor snippet, remember?" she reassured him.

"I have to escort you back to your homeworld once we are better. I suppose that will be tomorrow?"

"Varykino! I know a Holy man who wouldn't mind doing a favor for me." She said, a little out of breath. "I'm going to be a Skywalker," she whispered.

They looked at each other in silence, trying to catch their breath lost from over excitement. Then Anakin leaned in to catch her lips with his own, kissing her softly at first, then growing more in passion as she returned the favor.

He turned her over on her back, never breaking the kiss. Suddenly she stopped and jumped a little.

"What?" he asked.

"Cold," she said, indicating his new metal appendage that was resting on her bare thigh.

He let go immediately and backed away slightly. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's ok. I think I like it," she purred with a twinkle in her eye.

He smiled at her. She leaned in for more, but he backed away. "We only have a day. Let's wait until I'm legally yours."

"How sweet," Padme said, almost sarcastically.

He grabbed her around the waist, twirled her around so that her back was facing him, and pulled her close to him. "Yes, so take advantage of it now before it wears off."

She laughed and nuzzled up close to him and slowly closed her eyes. "What happens if one of the staff walks in here and finds me? I don't want to leave," she yawned.

"They won't be back until the morning. I'll wake you before that happens so you can go back to your room," he reassured her.

"Thank you." And with that, she fell asleep in his arms, the last night she would ever spend as Padme Naberrie Amidala; because the next evening she would become Padme Skywalker…even if no one else but her and Anakin knew.


End file.
